EVERYBODY'S COLUMN

This is in response to the Oct. 14 letter, "Let West Seneca residents vote again on size of board." I'm a little confused. The writer says, "The town governments provide our garbage pickup, lawn and yard waste pickup, clean our highways, sewers and storm drains and keep things running smoothly. They provide our police force that keeps our town safe." She further states, "when I call the town, I get my questions answered and problems solved." I have to agree with everything she said here, so why add more board members? Will our highways, sewers and storm drains somehow be cleaner with two extra people on the board? Will these extra members be out picking up leaves and patrolling the streets? I think not.

My wife and I bought and moved into our house in West Seneca a little over a year ago and we couldn't be happier. The only complaint we have is high taxes. The services provided are excellent. On the occasions when we needed to call or visit Town Hall, our experiences have been outstanding and the results exactly what we had hoped for. Small government means just that, small government from the federal level down to the towns.

Just for the record, if the taxpayers really want this, why did the petition to put this issue on the ballot fall short by 200 votes? It makes you wonder who is behind this and what are their motivations for wanting a bigger bureaucracy in our town?

Richard Sandler

West Seneca

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Obama, not Romney, is? responsible for economy

Not often do I read the headlines of a newspaper and can't believe my eyes, but you did it with your Oct. 17 issue. Your headline, "Obama slams Romney on economy," was absolutely backward.

President Obama is the incumbent and responsible for the state of the economy. Mitt Romney is the challenger and has had nothing to do with the economy; nothing whatsoever. It was Romney who blasted Obama and rightly so. Any of the 65 million viewers of this debate can attest to that.

Never have I seen such blatant bias in a newspaper. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Joyce Roessler

Kenmore

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Ellicott Creek Island? would be great dog park

Visit Ellicott Creek Island in Tonawanda at any daylight hour. What will you find? Dogs and puppies running freely, unleashing the canine tendencies their domestication has suppressed. What will you not find? Anyone complaining about it. My proposal is simple: convert Ellicott Creek Island Park into a dog park, where the municipal law requiring all dogs to be leashed is not enforced. My justification is threefold.

First, there is overwhelming community support for a dog park. The whole effort was spearheaded by a 10-year-old boy a couple of years ago. Since 2010, Jacob Crocker, through his website (tonawandadogpark.com), has procured almost 500 signatures in support of establishing a dog park in Tonawanda.

Second, Ellicott Creek Island already has the natural features to serve as a dog park. The defining characteristic of a dog park is an enclosed open space. As an island, it already has these essential attributes. Rather than expending taxpayer funds to erect fencing around another plot of land, the city need only remove the few signs around the island that condemn unleashed dogs.

Third, my silky terrier, Buddy, wants a dog park. In the suburban environment of the Northtowns, our dogs are generally confined to crates, a few rooms in our homes or small sections in our back yards. Dogs are naturally pack animals, and they have a strong need to socialize through posturing and behavior. Leash laws restrict their ability to communicate with one another. This leads to incessant barking, undesirable jumping and occasional nipping when they do encounter other dogs. Converting Ellicott Creek Island into a dog park would provide an important outlet for pooches.

Matt Kaiser

Snyder

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Genesee Community College ?also embraces WNY artists

Take a bow, Colin Dabkowski. As art critic for The Buffalo News, we appreciate his shining a spotlight on the exceptional and exceptionally diverse arts offerings in Western New York, and in particular, the venues that showcase these extraordinary offerings. As he pointed out, numerous and prominent colleges and universities across the region provide impressive economic contributions that not only celebrate academic excellence, but creative aesthetic as well. And just as the art itself is widely diversified, so, too, are the spaces that host those endeavors.

As Dabkowski observed, the University at Buffalo and Daemen College are two outstanding examples of higher education institutions that have embraced artists by giving them outstanding stages on which to shine. But just as the art world encompasses more than canvas and clay, the Western New York gallery scene is larger than Erie County.

Genesee Community College in Batavia offers artists working in all media a new, exquisite, modern gallery space featuring 1,700 square feet that can be configured according to the mood, theme and needs of the exhibiting artists. The Roz Steiner Art Gallery will host the work of Alfred University's Dale Inglett in his Transient Beings exhibit this fall, transforming the gallery with figurative paintings, prints and videos that explore identity, time and existence. And in the new year, we will be exhibiting the sculpture of Elena Lourenco, an assistant professor of fine arts in sculpture at Buffalo State College. Join us as we continue to embrace and celebrate the art scene.

Shirley Verrico

Manager, Roz Steiner Art Gallery

Art History Instructor, GCC

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Clinton takes the fall? for inept White House

How stupid do the Democrats think we, the public, are? It appears that Hillary Clinton, as a good liberal Democrat, has sacrificed herself to protect a completely inept and clueless White House. By her own admission, she has said she is "done with politics," so her sacrifice is meaningless.

Frank A. Gugino Sr.

West Seneca

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Put prejudice aside,? learn about others

Carol Wolf's Oct. 9 My View reminds me of an Arabic saying that people are like dogs and wolves (enemies) until they know each other and they become friends. Definitely, Wolf's family found that out. This view should be framed and hung at public institutions. Prejudice and fear of other people, without knowing their values, is due to ignorance and misunderstanding. Life is short and the best of it is to consider that all humanity is one family, regardless of the color, faith or culture.

It is mandatory for people of conscience to learn about the faiths and culture of other people, which leads to better understanding, respect and peaceable co-existence. I have the honor of knowing some Jews and Christians and we exchange and appreciate the values of each other.